Several years ago, back in 2007, I was working at a terrible job as a "research assistant" for a "real estate research firm" which really turned out to be a disguised name for a type of telemarketer. I was miserable. But I met some great friends and was sticking it out, determined after a rough year to make some big changes in my life.

On September 18, 2009 I launched this website with my very first blog post, The News. Nick and I had been dating almost two years and weren't even engaged yet. We were living in a little apartment in Charleston, SC with our lab mix puppy Maggie.

Nick had put in his preferences for where we wanted to live next. San Diego was our first choice and Honolulu, HI was number two. Just in case I'd started working on some of the paperwork to get Maggie into Hawaii (there are very strict guidelines in bringing a pet to the island). We had found out the day before that we would be going to Hawaii. I was in shock. It seemed too good to be true and at the same time really, really scary. It was a huge move.

Army Wives Season 3 waitress team

The overwhelming thoughts circling around in my brain jumbled together at one point and came up with the idea of this blog- a blog about my huge move to an island I'd never been to before and what it would be like living there.

I loved Charleston while we were there. We were only there for about a year though and Nick and I were young. I didn't make much money and pretty much stressed about money the entire time I was there. I made some friends, who I really cared about and had a blast with. I got to work as background on my first TV show, Army Wives, which paved a way for me to look into working on Hawaii Five-O when I moved to Hawaii. Army Wives itself was an incredible experience- it was entirely more intimate than the network feel of Five-O could ever be. I knew the casting department by name, I worked practically every week, and knew at least a few people on set every time I worked. I still stay in touch with friends from background and crew.

As Nick and I got here and began adjusting to the island, secretly we dreamed of how great we had it while in Charleston. I wish we had taken more time to appreciate it. I wish I hadn't always been so stressed about working and paying student loans. I wish we had maybe been a little more mature and comfortable with each other- it's hard making that big of a jump with someone you have only been dating a few months.

Daniel Island in Charleston, 2009

Now here we are, nearly three years later. Our time is almost up in gorgeous Hawaii. It's been such an amazing experience. I'm taking some time off from work now to spend with family as they visit and see my friends and explore the island while I still can. I feel like there's so much I haven't done here because I've been so busy working.

Nick submitted his preferences for where we want to spend the next two years on shore duty and amazingly enough, much to my disbelief, we got our number one choice: We're going back to Charleston, SC!

While it would be exciting to try to travel more while we're still young, there really weren't a lot of exciting options. Charleston though- we are both SO excited to be going back. It's on the same coast as my family in Maryland- only about an 8-10 hour drive away! It's also the same time zone so I can pick up the phone and call my family and friends back home and not have to stop and think about if they're in bed. No more text messages at 3 and 4AM.No more shipping issues. We already know the area we want to live. We already have friends there and maybe more in the next year!

If you run or enjoy doing various walks and runs like my husband and me, you may be looking for a favorite shirt to wear while participating. I saw this picture on the Naval Academy Alumni magazine recently and fell in love with the shirt in the picture. It's the perfect thing to wear to show your appreciation, running to support all those who serve.

Photo from Run to Honor: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?profile=1&id=161797587203104#!/runtohonor

I emailed the organization that puts on the run that had these shirts to find out how I could get one. They must have had a lot of other people also email them because they are now placing special orders for the shirts- for the regular black shirt by Under Armour as well as a special green version for St. Patrick's Day.

Run to Honor is a great organization. They just started a fan page on Facebook. Like them to show your support and to keep updated on their upcoming events if you are in the DC area. You can order a shirt for yourself here, but only until February 14th so hurry!

Note on Sizing: In case you need a size chart, I found the men's here and the women's here. Just click on the "Sizing" located near the sizes on the page.

Happy One Year Anniversary, Hawaii! I moved to Hawaii with Nick on February 4, 2010. Which means next week I will have now lived in Hawaii for a whole year.

First license in a new state! Woot!

So crazy to think about. Not that the time during deployment flew by at all, but definitely the time since Nick has been home has.

The only time I have left Hawaii since moving here has been for a few days to go to California for training for work. I haven't been back to Maryland and have not seen my family and friends for one whole year now.

My going away outing with my good friends before the big move.

That must be the reason I have been thinking about them all and missing them so much. I did get to see my sister and niece back in July when they came to visit me, which was amazing. And I have gotten to Skype with my parents, my sister, my niece, and even my grandma over the holidays.

But my heart is aching for my friends back home. Don't get me wrong, I have friends here. But they're not the kind yet that I feel comfortable calling up after a rough day to talk to. Nick is here for that...some of the time. And none of the girls I hang out with live anywhere nearby me. With the island’s traffic, that is a big deal. A girl needs her best friends.

To my two best friends back home, Erin and Rachel. I miss you two SO much.

Erin has been my best friend and partner in crime and sarcasm since junior year of college when I went from commuting to class to moving onto campus and got "stuck" rooming with her. It was a randomized assignment and the first thing I see when I walk into the dorm room is a huge poster of David Duchovny from X-Files and a little David Duchovny action figure perched tauntingly by her computer.

Me and Erin...So young here!

Erin and I hit it off right away, much to her surprise (and a little bit of mine!). She told me story after story of her nightmarish roommates, ones that stalked her, ones that walked in on her without asking, and ones that would just stare at her like they wanted to kill her. Erin and I had the same major, were the same age, and were in very similar dating situations at the time. While I had never seen X-Files before (although Erin got me to watch a few episodes while living with her and they weren’t bad, I must say), we did stay up WAY too late when we had early classes and tell scary stories until we fell asleep.

Erin and I continued to room together until graduation. Afterwards we had our own stuff going on and didn’t see each other much. A few months after graduation we got together for a reunion and decided to go do karaoke at a little bar nearby our college where a friend of mine (Rob!) was DJing. And then we went faithfully every week for 5 months straight.

Still my favorite picture of all time. Oh my Lord.

Erin has and always will be my best friend. I regret that we don’t talk much. She is a busy girl with a full-time job with a hefty commute, a fiancé, and a punk band called Dead End Lane in which she is the amazingly talented lead singer. The time diff doesn’t help either. But despite not getting to talk much I know that if I need her she is always there and vice versa.

Rachel!

I also found Rachel, my other best friend, in a very serendipitous type way. I used to date her brother! While the relationship with her brother clearly did not work out, I was fortunate enough to meet Rachel who is like a kindred soul to me. We got along SO well that her brother started getting jealous of our talking the whole time we were all out! Not too long after meeting Rachel, she invited me to move into her spare bedroom at her place.

Such an awesome friend.

Rachel was such an awesome roommate too! We watched the same shows, worked nearby, loved a lot of the same things. It was only a little awkward having pictures of her brother hanging around everywhere…but this is also the same brother that led me to find my husband so it looks like two AWESOME things came out of that!

ignore the brunette behind the curtain.

I guess Nick has to come out as the winner of being my favorite roommate ever. I mean, we do have a blast together. But….my two favorite girl roommates and best friends will always be Erin and Rachel.

There are no two friends like these two. :)

So this blog is dedicated to Erin and Rachel. Of course I miss everyone else back home SO much, my mom and my sister especially.

I also really miss my other close friends: Rob, John, EP, James, Cory, Beki, Bernadette, and all my other friends I didn't name on here….you all are the best. I miss you guys a ton. Karaoke again soon please? Guys?

Miss you guys a ton. Sing 'Fatbottom Girls' for me please?

Side Note: I know Erin wouldn’t want you to believe she is still obsessed with David Duchovny. I mean I wouldn’t want to embarrass her. It’s not like I would ever do something crazy like put up a poster of her with a really bad picture in the elevator of our dormitory or anything like that. So for the record, despite owning a cast of David Duchovny’s head, Erin really isn’t obsessed with X-Files anymore. For the record. ;)